Artists interested in joining the Club may submit an application* at any time during the year. These applications are then reviewed and vacancies filled each September (applications are not kept on file from year to year). Application requirements:
-sponsorship by two Club members
-examples of artwork, in hard copy or by email, or a website addresss
Submission of actual art works for adjudication may be requested in September

Membership decisions are made on the basis of vacancies and the potential artistic and other contributions the applicant can make towards the Club’s objectives. Members are expected to participate regularly in the Club’s activities and to volunteer in helping to facilitate Club functions.

Those interested in joining the Club are asked to familiarize themselves with its objectives and programs by reviewing this website, attending the Annual Club Show in March, and by reviewing the Victoria Sketch Club Constitution and By-Laws. We also highly recommend that they purchase and read a copy of the book The Victoria Sketch Club, a Centennial Celebration by John Lover (2008). It provides a wonderful historical perspective, with many colour illustrations. It is also hoped that the sponsors of potential members will invite them to participate in the Club’s outdoor Summer Program, as a way of familiarizing them with the goals and approaches of the Club prior to the fall adjudication process.

*The Victoria Sketch Club application form can be obtained from the Club Secretary, or click here to download the Victoria Sketch Club Application in PDF format. Please forward the completed form to:
Verna Linney, 4750 Amblewood Drive, Victoria, BC V8Y 2S3
Email contact: verna@vernalinney.com

The Victoria Sketch Club Program has four major components:

• September through April – Painting indoors every Tuesday afternoon at the beautiful Windsor Park Pavilion in Oak Bay. This weekly program includes a wide range of activities such as life drawing from nude or costumed models, character poses or a still life set-up. Additionally, there are occasional critiques by guest artists, and demonstrations of particular techniques. Members may bring along work in progress for comment by their fellow artists, following the regular painting session. In mid-December the members and their partners gather for a potluck Christmas lunch.

• March – the annual Victoria Sketch Club Art Show and Sale is held in the gymnasium of the Glenlyon-Norfolk School (Beach Drive campus) during spring break. This is an opportunity for the members to display and their recent works. Over the years this show has become a landmark art event in the Victoria community to which many visitors return year after year.

• May through August – the weekly Tuesday outdoor summer program takes place at a wide variety of public and private venues throughout Victoria and environs; such as marinas, gardens, the seashore, cityscapes, heritage sites, farms and orchards. Artists begin work on their own around 10 in the morning, meet for lunch, and paint/draw on into the afternoon. Prospective new members are invited to take part in the summer program.

• September Paint-Out – In September the Club organizes a week long paint-out at an artistically inspiring location. Each day members scatter to paint at sites of their choice, re-assembling with the group in late afternoon for a “show and tell’ critique. Over the years we have met in locations such as Hornby Island, Cowichan Bay and Ucluelet. Hornby Island is the 2011 Paint-Out destination.

For the members the show is an important annual event. It is their opportunity to display a sample of their recent work and for the public to view or purchase those paintings. Typically one can view the work of about 30 participating artists (about 150 paintings) working in a wide range of media, formats, subjects and styles. Normally 30 to 40 works of art are sold in the Spring Show. Since the show is presented on a break-even basis, the club charges member artists only a small percentage as commission to defray expenses. The show attracts an ever-increasing number of visitors, many of whom are returning year after year.